A Short History of the Town of Hameln

There has been a settlement on the site of Hameln for over 1200 years. The first official record is around 800AD when the imperial Abbey of Fulda established a Benedictine Monestery near the then village.

Hameln stands on an important crossing point of the River Weser. This crossing now carries the main B1 road which was the original main route from Berlin to Paris. The importance of this crossing point helped Hameln develop into a market town by the 11th century. It is also one of the causes of the traffic conjestion around town.

Due to its importance Hameln developed into a walled town defended by a fortress on the south side of the river. Nothing remains of the original walls but their location can be traced by the route of the main ring road around the town centre. A short reconstruction of part of the walls was completed along the Thiewall.

The main fortress was built between 1664 and 1648 on the Klut , which is a large hill on the south side of the town facing the original bridge. It was a strongly defended position and had the nickname of the Gibraltar of the North.

In 1808 the defenders of the fortress surrendered to Napoleon's troops without a fight in order to save the town from destruction. The French demolished the fortifications around the town and also the fortress. Little remains of these fortifications but there is a plaque on the position of the main battery. Little can be found of the french occupation but the main Sparkasse bank was once the headquarters and church of the town garrison.

 

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